Heating system



Sept. 19, 1950 P. L. CONAWAY 2,522,860

HEATING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 30, 1946 34 Paul Leroy Conaway -s s as f 4/ 4! 37 a, 40 G 5913 1' 39 w v 5 W a Attorneys Patented Sept. 19 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEATING SYSTEM Paul Leroy Conaway, Wellsburg, W. Va. Application December so, 1946. Serial No. 719,259

This invention relates to a heating system and has for its primary object the economical heating of a room or a numberof rooms within a building orlike structure; I

Another object of the invention is to enable but a single room to receive all of the heat output from a heating unit, thus to conserve energy and effect economies in operation.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing this invention which embodies among its fea'turesa plurality of heat ducts radially disposed about a common center, an air heating unit at the intersection of the axes of the ducts and means selectively to direct air heated by said heating unit into the ducts.

Other features include mounting the heating unit to rotate within a casing into which the ducts lead about the point of intersection of the axes of the ducts, and means to rotate the heating unit selectively to direct air heated thereby into the heat ducts.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a heating system embodying the features of this invention, certain portions being broken away more clearly to illustrate certain details of construction,

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing the heating unit in the dotted line position illustrated in Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a wiring diagram illustrating the means by which the swinging of the heating unit may be governed.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a heating unit designated generally I comprises a cylindrical shell or body II closed at opposite ends by heads I2. Formed at radially spaced intervals in the body I I are ports I3, and coupled with the body II by flanges I4 are radially extending ducts I5 which it will be understood lead to other ducts for carrying warm air to various different rooms of a building (not shown). Extending through the topmost head I2 in concentric relation with the periphery thereof is an opening I 6 on opposite sides of which are mounted suitable journal bearings IT in which the drive shaft of the heating unit to be more fully hereinafter described is mounted to rotate. Mounted in axial alignment with the opening IE on the inner face of the opposite head I2 is a disc I9 of insulating material, and mounted on the inner face of the disc is a slip ring for a purpose to be more fully hereinafter described. The entire heating device In is adapted to be supported beneath a floor or the like on suit- 2 Claims. (Cl. 219.39)

able brackets 2I though it is to be understood. that if so desired, the device may be supported a suitable bracket 26 rising from the upper head I2 as will be readily understood upon reference to Figure 2. The lower end of the shaft 22 is connected as by a coupling 21 to a tubular casing 28, and mounted on suitable brackets 29 at one end of thetubular casing is a fan motor30 carrying on its drive shaft a fan 3| which is so arranged that when themotor is energized a.

blast of air will be introduced into the casing 28. One terminal of the motor 30 is connected by an insulated conductor 32 to a contact 33 which is insulated from the casing 28 in any suitable manner and carries a spring finger 34 which bears upon the slip ring 20. The opposite terminal of the fan motor 30 is grounded in a conventional manner.

Mounted within the casing 28 in line with the blast of air created therethrough by the fan 3| is a, lamp socket 35, one terminal of which is grounded while its opposite terminal is coupled to a spring finger 3B which like the finger 34 rides on the slip ring 20, and screwed into the socket 35 is a conventional electrical heating element 3'! which is held in the path of the air blast so that air passing therearound will become heated. A nipple 38 extends from the end of the casing 28 opposite the fan 3| and terminates adjacent the inner face of the cylindrical body II. It will thus be seen that when the nipple 38 aligns with an opening I 3 a blast of warm air will be directed through the duct I5 aligning therewith and thence to the space to be heated.

In order conveniently to bring the nipple 38 into alignment with the desired nipple I5 the motor 25 has one side coupled through a line 39 leading to a source of power while the other side of the motor is coupled through a conductor 40 to a series of switches 4|, each of which is located in a room or other space to be heated. The slip ring is connected through a suitable insulated conductor 42 to a suitable source of electrical energy, the other terminal of which is grounded so that energy will flow through the heating unit 31 and fan motor 30 in order that air driven through the casing 28 and contacting the heating unit 3'! will become heated. It will be underthat a blast of warm air will be introduced into.

the nipple IS with which the nipple 38 aligns, and the air conducted through the ducts leadingv from the nipple 15 into the space to be heated. The air blown into the casing 28 comes from the other spaces or rooms throughtheducts I5 which are not aligned with ducts 38. It will be understood of course, that when the nipple 38 aligns with the duct I5 the switch 4| for that particular duct will be opened, thus stopping further movement of the nipple 38 about'theaxis of the shaft. 22.

veniently to that space in' order to swing the nipple 38 into alignment with the proper duct and then discontinue the flow of electrical energy through the motor 25, thus keepin the nipple 38 in alignment with the desired duct. In this way, it will be obvious that a group of spaces may be selectively heated simply by the manipulation of the switches 4 I.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this 1 invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

When it is desired to heat another space connected with the same system, it is only necessary to throw the switch 4| located con- I claim:

1. In a space heating system, a substantially circular drum having radial openings extending through its side wall, an air heating unit mounted within the drum to rotate about the center thereof, a duct extending radially from the air heating unit and means to rotate the heatin unit selectively to move the duct into registration with an opening in the drum.

2.-A space heating system comprising a circular drum having radial openings extending through its side wall, an air heating unit mounted within the drum to rotate about the center thereof, a duct extending radially from the air heating unit, and means to rotate the heating unit selectively to move the duct into registration with a radial opening in the drum, said heating unit including a housing, a heating coil in said housing in alignment with said duct, a fan in said housing behind said heating coil, a slip ring in the bottom wall of said drum operatively'connected toa source of electric current, and spring finger contacts operatively engaging said slipring and connected to said heating coil and said fan;

' PAUL LEROY CONAWAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following, references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 623,408 Lindsay et al Apr. 18, 1899 1,578,047 Lum Mar. 23, 1926 2,000,112 Wheeler May 7, 1935 2,252,954 Wheeler Aug. 19, 1941 2,265,317 Schlirf Dec. 9, 1941 2,390,630 Wheeler Dec. 11, 1945 2,405,411" Dybvig Aug. 6, 1946 

